Laurel Brauns
Posted inNews

Salmon People

A chat with Elizabeth Woody, who brings poetic discourse to the environmental movement
Laurel Brauns

How do ancient teachings—passed down through generations of Native Americans—apply to contemporary perspectives on the environment? Where do spirituality, pragmatism and ecological science intersect? In a society that depends on scientific studies and policy solutions to describe and mitigate the destruction of the environment, poet, artist and social organizer Elizabeth Woody uses the power of […]

Posted inNews

Counting the Unhoused Population

Central Oregon Point-In-Time Count that starts next week helps local agencies provide services to people without homes
Laurel Brauns

On Wednesday, Jan. 29, agencies in Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs will collaborate to get an accurate count of people in the region who do not have a place to live. This is part of a nationwide effort to provide a census of those experiencing homelessness. “The Point-In-Time Count […]

Posted inNews

Kids on Climate

Three young activists weigh in on last year’s accomplishments and the outlook for 2020
Laurel Brauns

Students around the globe have been inspired into action by the courage of 17-year-old Greta Thunberg, a Swedish climate activist who was named Time’s “Person of the Year” in 2019. Two years ago, Thunberg began walking out of school, spending the days in protest outside the Swedish Parliament to demand stronger climate action from political […]

Posted inNews

Keeping the Home Fires Burning

The City of Bend is changing the rules for cottage clusters, dorm-style group living and quadplexes to address Bend’s housing crisis
Laurel Brauns

The chief underlying cause (of the housing shortage) is the ongoing low levels of new construction this decade. On a population growth-adjusted basis, Oregon built fewer new housing units this decade than we have since at least World War II. —Josh Lehner, Economist, Oregon Office of Economic Analysis The affordable housing crisis in Central Oregon […]

Posted inNews

Yes, We Are Getting a Lot of Robocalls

Oregon was the third hardest-hit state for spam calls in 2019
Laurel Brauns

Spam calls range from a mild annoyance to criminal scams. And these calls may be getting worse. Today, technology has made it possible for companies to call thousands of people at the same time. While cell phone users have become more spam-savvy—blocking numbers and ignoring calls with out-of-state area codes—robocall technicians have upped their game. […]

Posted inNews

Treasure Hunting, the Sport

Whatever winter brings, geocaching offers a way to explore new places
Laurel Brauns

The sport of geocaching challenges people with a GPS (or the right app on their smartphones) to get out and explore places they may never go otherwise. Geocachers hide “treasures” or caches at specific coordinates in untracked areas of the woods or in obvious urban locations like the Deschutes Public Library. Using a mix of […]

Posted inNews

Medicare for Us

Is Oregon ready for single-payer health care?
Laurel Brauns

Oregonians could see universal health care in the coming years, regardless of what happens at the federal level. The state has made significant progress over the last decade ensuring access to health care through Medicaid expansion. With a democratic supermajority in Oregon’s legislature, and strong support among voters, it could become one of the first […]

Posted inNews

City Council Moves Forward with Transportation Bond

Bend City Council to draft a $180 million bond measure for the May Primary Election ballot
Laurel Brauns

The Bend City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to move forward on a transportation bond measure. The Council will finalize the language for the ballot at its Feb. 5 meeting. The motion directs the City Attorney’s office to draft the language for the bond measure that would fund $180 million in capital transportation projects. Once the […]

Posted inNews

Poverty With a View?

Bend ranks in the top 12% for income inequality compared to other U.S. cities
Laurel Brauns

Since the Great Recession and Occupy Wall Street, economists and left-leaning politicians have been calling out “the 1%,” the small number of people in the U.S. that hold most of the wealth. French economist Thomas Piketty wrote that not since the Gilded Age of the 1920s—immediately preceding the Great Depression—have the American people experienced such […]

Posted inCulture

Financial Summit

Local author David Rosell shares the secrets of a wealthy life that extends beyond money
Laurel Brauns

David Rosell is a writer, traveler, financial planner and retirement “architect” who runs a boutique wealth management firm in downtown Bend, serving 100 clients from all over the U.S. He started his first business at 15, began saving for retirement (in lieu of buying a new car) at the age of 19 and has lived […]

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